Educational Science

The number of children born outside of marriage in the United States has declined in recent years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, there were about 1.6 million births to unmarried U.S. women, which was the lowest number since 2005, and...

Children of Divorce May Be More Likely to Be Overweight

Children whose parents are divorced tend to be heavier than kids whose parents stay married, a new study suggests. Researchers in Norway found that kids from divorced homes in that country were 54 percent more likely to be overweight or obese, and 89 percent were more likely to have abdominal...

Disposable diapers are made of some of the most indestructible materials on Earth, but a group of researchers has found a way to degrade the soiled garments: by growing mushrooms on them. The scientists grew the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus on a substance made from used diapers, and were able...

Money, Not Marriage, Makes Parents Better

When it comes to good parenting, having money matters more than being married, a new study concludes. Whether single, married or divorced, American parents strive to meet common recommendations for good parenting behavior, from eating meals with their kids to setting rules about television time to encouraging extracurricular activities, researchers...

Parents Should Read to Kids Starting in Infancy, Docs Say

Parents should read to their children often, and start well before the kids enter school, according to a new statement from the nation's largest group of pediatricians. The statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians advise parents to read regularly to their children, beginning in infancy and...

Married Men More Likely to Get Health Screenings

Married men are more likely to visit the doctor and get recommended health screenings than unmarried men who live with their significant others, according to a new report. In 2011 and 2012, 76 percent of married men ages 18 to 64 said they had a health care visit in the...

Most Parents Use Car Seats Unsafely

Almost three-quarters of parents fail to follow the safety advice to use rear-facing car seats for their toddlers until age 2, a new study finds. Instead, most parents turn their child's car seat around, to a front-facing position, at an earlier age than recommended, and a quarter of parents even...

US Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low

The U.S. birth rate reached an all-time low in 2013, as the number of babies born in the country declined for the sixth straight year since the peak in 2007, a new report finds. The country's birth rate dipped to 62.5 births per 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44,...

One Parent May Have Bigger Role in a Girl's Puberty Age

The age at which girls reach puberty is influenced by a set of genes that were previously only known to be involved in the development of a fetus before birth, according to a new study. The timing of puberty varies widely among people. Scientists are interested in understanding the factors...

Weird Device Helps Long-Distance Lovers 'Teleport' Smooches

Long-distance lovebirds may soon be able to teleport kisses to one another, thanks to a high-tech but somewhat unusual device. The smooching machine — called the Kissenger, which is short for Kiss-Messenger — allows two people to transmit kisses to each other when they are physically apart. It is mostly...